Untouchable
by mionedisgized
Summary: Disclaimer: I own nothing... all credit for characters and recognizable situations or places is strictly the property of JK Rowling. Hermione is the oldest virgin at Hogwarts... and it's Malfoy's fault?
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

After the Yule Ball

Hermione sat on the main staircase crying as though her world were falling apart. Dramatic? Yes, but then that's exactly how she felt. Her prat of a best friend Ronald Weasley had managed to destroy a perfectly lovely evening and to top it off she'd screamed at her other best friend Harry Potter for absolutely no reason. Oh and did she mention that her date had abandoned her for one of the Beauxbaton girls since she wouldn't do more than hold his hand? One of these would have been easy to shrug off, all of them together however had led to her extremely public emotional display.

Angrily she brushed her tears away and stalked out to the grounds. She supposed she was foolish to think she was safe, especially when you considered the myriad dangerous beasts inhabiting the forest, but it was Hogwarts, she'd almost always felt safe at Hogwarts. Well to be honest, she hadn't felt at all safe since the end of her first year, but school was safer than anywhere else. With faulty reasoning she justified the stupidity of being out on the grounds by herself in the middle of the night.

Slowly, still working on her composure, she walked to the lake and sat, hoping the solitude would help. She'd only been there a few minutes when she heard a noise behind her. Carefully she pulled her wand from the shin holster (the only place she'd been able to hide it under this dress) and stood, turning to face whatever was trying to sneak up on her.

"Oh hello, are you lost?" she asked upon recognizing one of the Durmstrang students. He was staring at her intently, making her a bit nervous before a narrow smile twisted his lips.

"Ah!" He said finally and Hermione's lips twitched at the mental image of a light bulb going off over his head. "You are Viktor's friend no?" He asked with broken English and a reserved smile.

"Um… yes?" She'd meant it to be a statement, yet even she'd caught the question at the end.

His smile deepened as he moved closer to her. "And what is such a beautiful lady doing alone in the dark on such a glorious night?" He gestured to the castle and said, "Why are you not dancing with your many admirers?"

She sighed, her wand arm dropping to her side and her eyes drifting back over the lake. She realized her idiocy at once, but it was too late. By the time she turned back to him, he'd tackled her, knocking the breath from her lungs and her wand from her hand. Before she could recover not only from the impact with the ground but also from his weight on top of her, he'd performed a full body bind on her. She opened her mouth to scream and he muttered, _"Silencio!"_ She tried anyway and he laughed.

"That is much better I am thinking. You Hogwarts girls do not know how a woman should act. Instead of flaunting and teasing then saying no, our woman are taught to care for their men. They do not fight or tease, they submit. I am thinking this is a lesson you need to learn." The whole time he spoke his insane words his voice so calm, he was stripping her clothes off of her, leaving her dress in ragged shreds and her in nothing.

Hermione was screaming in her head even if no one could hear her. She'd rarely been so scared and honestly could think of only one time that came near. Last year, they'd confronted Sirius Black while thinking him a mass murderer, that came close, but at least then she'd had her friends. There was also second year, when the Basilisk had been loose, but then all she'd faced was petrification and death. Death was easy, you didn't feel anything in death. It was pain that she feared. Pain so intense that it drove you to insanity, which she'd heard happened with the _cruciatus_.

She'd pretty much resigned herself to the fact that she'd be feeling pain tonight; after all he'd said he wanted to teach her a lesson. Yet suddenly he was jerked off of her and she heard a splash. Her eyes shot instantly to the person who'd helped her and true panic set in.

At least with the Durmstrang boy it hadn't been personal. He may have hurt her a bit, but he had nothing vested in her, so anything he did would quickly fade. With Draco Malfoy it was very personal, he hated her with an intensity she'd never felt from anybody else. His eyes lit up with malicious glee anytime he caught her on her own, especially if his cronies surrounded him. He'd spent the last three years tormenting her and here she was, alone, paralyzed and wandless. Why did it have to be him to find her?

That thought may have seemed stupid in the circumstances, but she'd rather face what the Durmstrang boy had planned than whatever Malfoy was planning. How had the smartest witch her age allowed herself to be so bloody stupid! This was her fault; the entire thing had been brought on by her carelessness. He was turning towards her now, having retrieved the Durmstrang from the lake and knocked him out before binding him.

Even the full body bind couldn't stop her instinctive flinch when he turned those cold gray eyes in her direction. He was muttering as he moved closer to her, flicking his wand around and she wondered which curse he'd use on her. She closed her eyes as he stopped over her, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing either fear or tears.

Surprisingly, she wasn't feeling any pain from his continued muttering; instead a warm heat spread through her and her eyes flew open in surprise. "Come on Granger, let's get you back to the castle." He held his hand out to her and for the first time she realized that he'd released her from the magical binds as well as repaired her clothing.

"What?" She asked, gaping stupidly at him.

"The castle? Where we live? Did he hit you on the head Granger?" He knelt beside her, grabbing her chin in gentle fingers and turning her head to check it for damage.

She jerked her head from him, her eyes large, scared and confused. "Why are you helping me Malfoy? You love to see me in pain, why would you help me now?"

He grinned at her and she was surprised at how innocent he looked without his trademark sneer. "I only love to see you in pain when I'm the one inflicting it Granger," he retorted his eyes flashing briefly to the unconscious boy. "And despite everything you think of me I don't condone rape. Sex should be consensual," the last was said quietly and she actually found herself believing him.

"Come on, let's get you back before your idiot friends come looking and jump to the wrong conclusion. Do you want me to go with you to tell Dumbledore?" He sounded a bit nervous, like he actually expected her to say yes.

"No Malfoy. In fact if we could keep this just between the two of us…"

"What? NO! You have to tell Dumbledore, Granger! He needs to be punished." He sounded deadly serious. "If you don't want anyone else to know, then I won't let it slip, but you have to tell Dumbledore. You can't just pretend nothing happened." She turned her head, hoping he wouldn't see her tears. He sighed, "Come on Granger or this time I'm going to leave you here." She followed him up to the castle, though they both took great care not to be seen together.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One

Three years later

Hermione hid behind a tapestry when she heard the Slytherins moving through the halls. Unfortunately for her they chose the wall opposite where she hid to stop and have their conversation. She sighed silently and settled in for a long wait, Slytherins were notoriously full of hot air. She ignored them for several moments until she heard her name.

"…Granger, mudblood or not, I'd pound her sweet little ass into the mattress anyday. Can you imagine? As repressed as she is, I bet she's a hellcat in the sack. It's always the studious ones that are the freakiest, eh?" the boy sighed as a furious flush raced up Hermione's neck.

"You'd have to be mental to touch her!" The other boy laughed.

"What? Please, like I'm scared of her Gryffindork bodyguards."

The other boy laughed again a bit coldly and she finally recognized the voice. Blaise Zabini, Malfoy's best friend. "She's untouchable."

The other one, the one she didn't know snickered. "Says who? Granger? Give me ten minutes with her and I'll change her mind."

Blaize chuckled coldly. "Says Draco. Nobody is allowed near her except the golden boy and weasel. She's a pariah, you touch her and he'll make you suffer far beyond anything you've ever imagined." Hermione felt her throat close and was relieved that their footsteps were moving farther from her.

She slumped down against the wall her mind racing. _Malfoy had declared her untouchable. Why would he do that? When had he done it? Of course as the most influential wizard in school he had that power, and everyone would listen to him. Which meant if she wanted to date at anytime in her school career it would be Ron or Harry. No other wizard in the school would go near her in that way if Malfoy had declared her off limits._ Her shock was dissipating quickly and in its place rage was building. Who was he to declare her Untouchable? Who the bloody hell did he think he was trying to control her life?

She got to her feet, her face set in a familiar determined glare as she stalked through the halls. She knew what class he had, it was one of the few they didn't share, and she stalked up the Astronomy tower and ducked into the classroom full of Slytherins. "Madame Sinistra? May I borrow the head boy? There is a bit of a situation…"

"Of course of course," said the beautiful, though a bit intimidating, woman.

All of the Slytherins stared at her in fury as Draco gathered his things and walked towards her. His eyes were polite, yet she could see the hatred that boiled between them.

"What do you want Mudblood? I spoke to Snape just before class so I know that there isn't a _situation_." He sneered at her and she had a sudden vision of the smile she'd seen only once in fourth year. The only time he'd ever done anything nice for her or not gone out of his way to torment her. In fact, he'd kept his word and never mentioned it again.

"Come with me." She led the way back to the main entrance of the Dorm they shared. Absently thinking the password at the gryffon with the snake hanging over it's head, she stepped inside.

"Problem Granger?" His voice was as cold and disdainful as always, but she could hear the undertone of fear, after all, the results of her temper were not exactly a secret.

"Where the hell do you get off declaring me untouchable? Do you hate me so much that you want to see me alone forever?" He blanched at her words, but then haughtily crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall.

"Come now Granger, surely you could turn to Potty or Weasel couldn't you? Honestly I thought they'd be the only two you ever considered anyway…"

"You thought wrong! Harry and Ron are like my brothers you git!" She started crying and he choked back his next words. "I want to be more than just Hermione Granger, head girl, smartest witch, _little Ms Perfect_, isn't that what you and your horrible friends call me? Well maybe I do want a boyfriend! Maybe I don't want to be the oldest virgin in school but thanks to you that's about where it's going to stay isn't it?"

He froze, stunned not only by the passion in her gaze but by her words as well. _Oldest virgin in school? Bloody hell…_ His mind went completely blank as he stared at her. He was watching her lips move but could hear no sound. He grabbed hold of the wall behind him in an effort to keep from grabbing _her_. He tuned back in to her words just in time to hear her say, "…and I don't want to die a virgin!" The last was said as she sobbed into her hands. "Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to you to make you want me to spend the rest of my life alone?"

He moved quickly to her side. "Granger! I made that decree fourth year after the Yule Ball…" he broke off for a minute, uncomfortable with the subject they'd never once mentioned. "I did it to stop any of the other guys from doing that again…"

Her tear stained eyes raised to his, no longer angry or hurt, but a bit curious and … flattered? A tremble ran through him as he stared into her glassy gold eyes. "Granger, I figured you'd end up with Potter or Weasel, neither of whom would give a damn about my orders to leave you alone…"

She nodded, understanding finally. "I… I see. Well then, I guess thank you since you had good intentions…" She stood and moved towards him, not noticing how tensely he stood against the wall. "Thank you Draco," she whispered and pressed a kiss to his neck, just below his jaw, the only place she could reach. Then she bolted for the door and left him standing in shock.

Draco couldn't believe what had just happened. As many times as he'd thought about Granger and her fantastic body since that night, never in his wildest dreams had he thought that she'd willingly touch him. Sure he'd helped her, but as soon as she was safe he'd reverted to his usual obnoxious self, as had she. Though he had to admit that she'd gone out of her way to avoid confrontations with him, even going so far as to drag her friends down hallways if she saw him coming.

He missed his Potions class as he was still sitting in the same spot, but he'd forgotten that he shared that class with her and of course she'd notice his absence.

Hermione managed to evade her friends by telling them that she had forgotten her Arithmancy homework in the dorm and would see them at lunch. Quickly she made her way to the dorm, hoping that Malfoy was all right, even though her mind was telling her that she shouldn't care. But he'd extended his protection to her without letting her know, and granted it wasn't a way she'd have chosen, but it had been effective.

Blaise had seen Granger run towards the Head's dorm and followed at a discreet distance until he was sure he could catch her alone. "Granger!" she didn't even seem to hear him as she was now nearly running. Using his highly trained Quidditch skills he darted around her and grabbed hold turning her to face him. "I need to talk to you." His words were simple but his tone was not.

"I have to be somewhere Mr Zabini, I'm sure whatever it is your head of house can help you with." She tried to be pleasant and firm while at the same time struggling to remove his hands on her arms.

He laughed softly, "Oh I very much doubt Snape would have any luck at all with this situation."

She sighed. "Alright then, what is it you need help with?"

"Actually Granger, it's you I'm trying to help. Well you and Draco anyway." She eyed him warily. "look, I know all you see when you look at us is Slytherin, but just as you Gryffindor are, we are all different people. Not all of us are good, but we aren't all bad either. You need to look past houses colors and purity of blood to see whom a person really is. But that wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about. You're going to find Draco aren't you? Because he wasn't in class? Did the two of you have a fight when you dragged him out of Astronomy?"

She sighed. He obviously knew something or he wouldn't be here. "Yes and no. We argued, but it was resolved before I left for class. I thought he'd be right behind me…" she trailed off, her eyes darting over his shoulder towards the main entrance to the dorm. There were six entrances total to the Heads Dorm, though she only had the passwords for three of them. Four of them were house entrances, leading directly from the House Common Rooms, one was a direct connection to the Head Mistress's office, the final being the Main Entrance on the third floor. That being the entrance that was currently less than ten feet from her but was blocked by 6'2" of pure Slytherin muscle. She sighed again. "Zabini, please move out of my way."

"Look Hermione, he's my best friend and I know him better than anyone. Don't give up on him ok? He's not the repulsive bastard he pretends to be…" With a sad smile Zabini left her alone in the corridor dumbfounded. Had Zabini just told her to pursue Malfoy? Shrugging it off she rushed through the portrait, her eyes immediately scanning the room.

He sat against the wall where she'd left him, head back, knees pulled up to his chest. "Draco?" she whispered, moving closer to him. His eyelids shot open and his piercing gray eyes landed on her instantly.

"Don't you have class Granger?" he asked in a sort of detached voice.

"You missed potions," she said quietly, sitting on the floor beside him.

He gave her an odd look, but didn't say anything about it. "I'm sure ole' Sluggy managed just fine without me," he smirked annoyingly and was surprised when she giggled in response. Sure, he got that reaction often from _other_ girls, but never once had Hermione Granger laughed at anything he said.

"Hermione Granger!" He declared. "Did you just laugh at something I said?"

She laughed again. "Wasn't that the point?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, what's the point to this whole conversation? Why aren't you in History of Magic Granger?"

She sighed, leaning her head back and closing her eyes, assuming much the same pose he'd been in when she'd entered the room. "Do you realize that this is the first time in my life I've missed a class without being in the hospital wing?"

He choked. "You're joking right?" She shook her head and he repeated the gesture, only his was dripping with disgust. "Come on, if you're going to skip your first class, you might as well have fun doing it." He got to his feet and pulled her up before she could protest.

"Wait! What?" He dragged her firmly yet gently towards his dorm room and her face turned the color of tomatoes. "Oh no, no, no, no, no, no…"

She tried to jerk her arm free and he turned to look at her, puzzled. "What are you going on about Granger?"

"I am not going in your room Malfoy! That may be your idea of fun but…"

He nearly fell over as laughter rushed out of him. "Oh Merlin, I needed that… get your mind out of the gutter Granger. The reason we are going into my room is because that is where the door to Slytherin House is and there is something I need to grab." He looked at her again, his eyes dancing with laughter. "Geez Granger… you really thought I was taking you in there for _that?_" He shook his head. "I've already told you, sex should be consensual and I really don't think you'd consent. Now, if I'm wrong, I'd be happy to show you how comfortable my bed is, as well as my arms, my hands, my mouth…" his voice got lower with each word, as did his eyelids and Hermione had to firmly remind herself this was Draco Malfoy. She absolutely could not fall for his seduction attempts. Not quite enemies, not quite friends, that she could deal with, that was acceptable. Intimacy between them?

"Not a chance," she finally said, answering her own question as well as his.

He shrugged carelessly and led her to the portrait of a thin cold looking man who suddenly spoke with anger in his voice. "And why would you be trying to bring a Gryffindor into my house?"

"Oh shove off Salazar, we're only going to grab something, we'll be out of there long before anybody has a chance to find out we've been there." Salazar Slytherin's portrait slid open and Draco ushered her through before the codgy old bastard changed his mind.

They slid into the Slytherin common room quietly and Hermione took advantage of the chance to look around. A slight moue of disgust appeared on her face as she took in the stone walls, damp and cold atmosphere and pretentious furnishings. She'd never been so grateful to be a Gryffindor.

Draco had seen her expression and hid a smile. "Come on, if I leave you here you'll likely find something that will get all of the Slytherins expelled." Her eyes lit up and he grinned. "Not happening Princess. Come on." He grabbed hold of her hand then dragged her off to the closet where the Slytherin Quidditch brooms were kept and grabbed his new Thunderbolt. Neither of them noticed the pleased young man reclining on a couch in a dark corner.

"What exactly did we need a broom for Malfoy?" Hermione asked hesitantly while she followed him out into the dungeons and down a hall she'd never been in before.

He laughed, something he seemed to be doing with more frequency while in her company. "What do you think we're going to do with it Granger? Sweep the kitchens?"

"Oh," she said in a much more timid voice than he'd ever heard from her.

He stopped abrubtly, turning to face her and she collided with him. His hands caught her upper arms and steadied her before he then used one forefinger to tip her head towards his. Once her gaze was locked with his he spoke slowly and carefully. "I know that you are scared to fly. I also know that it must infuriate you not to be able to do something that your best friends love to do. So Ms Granger, I am going to teach you to fly and by the end of the day you will love it as much as they do. You might never be as good as Potter or me, but it shouldn't take anytime at all to pass up the Weasel. Now come on!" He grabbed hold of her wrist again and dragged her out of the classroom.

She allowed him to lead her to the Pitch only because she was in shock. How had he known? How did he see so much? Sure everyone knew she didn't like flying, but no one had ever guessed how much that bothered her. Her two best friends in the world loved to fly and it was something she'd never been able to share with them. It had always made her feel slightly cut off from them. Come to think of it, neither of them had offered to teach her so she could overcome her fear.

Then there was the fact that it was Malfoy who had seen so deep into her insecurities. She wished she could figure him out. He was so confusing, his mood swings erratic. She didn't fight it even after the shock wore off, wanting to see where it lead. Of course she knew that no good could possibly come of her newfound fascination, but that didn't stop her from stepping deeper and deeper into something far out of her league.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Two

He lay in bed, trying to clear his mind, an impossible task with _her_ sleeping just on the other side of the wall. It hadn't been this bad before, but after that day, everything changed. He'd told her he'd done what he had to protect her. Truth was, he'd done it to protect himself. The idea of seeing somebody else touching what was his was beyond the pale. He would have been expelled and probably incarcerated for murder.

She didn't know and it wasn't yet time to tell her, thus the sleepless lying in bed. His body demanded he claim his mate, his logical mind telling him it wasn't the time. Sure, the war was over, but they were still in school, still in opposing houses and hated each others friends.

A small smile graced his lips as he thought of their stolen moments. Their flying lessons were going well, she didn't love it yet, but she wasn't petrified by the mere concept anymore. Several nights a week would find them studying in the same space, shooting cautious looks at each other. It was a subtle seduction, one he'd planned to reach it's conclusion the night before graduation at which point he would _finally_ claim his mate and begin the rest of their lives together.

It had been his mothers plan, one she'd made after hearing about the tentative truce they'd formed. She'd suspected that the open hostility between their houses might not be conducive to a successful relationship and recommended he begin to woo her quietly now but wait until after graduation to make it more relationship, less amicable roommates.

He was anxious to proceed to the next step. His animal nature would not let him procrastinate much further, after all, he'd identified her nearly four years ago at an unprecedented early age. Though his kind mated for life, most didn't identify their mates until they were well into their twenties, even when raised with the person. His family had been horrified but eventually accepted it. His father had even taken a curse to protect her during the attack the previous year though he suspected she didn't know about that.

His teeth pierced his bottom lip and he growled his frustration. It was getting worse, less controllable as he waited to claim her. His teeth would protrude at the most inconvenient times, this not being the first time he'd bit through his own lip. He feared what would happen if he ever got Hermione close enough to him to taste. He wouldn't hurt her, would sooner kill himself truth be told, but there was a good chance he'd scare her. She was innocent, he was not, she'd want romance and candles and all that crap and all he needed was to pound her so hard into the mattress that she wouldn't be able to walk for a week.

"Three more months," he growled to the silent common room as he moved towards the lavatory. He paused, smelling her on the air and turned to find her watching him.

"Are you alright?" She asked cautiously. He could feel his inner beast fighting to be let out. It was made ten times worse by the soft silk pajamas that hung loose on her body. They were a pale pink, komono style set that he'd seen her in before. They were actually quite modest except tht she was standing before the fireplace and the bright flames behind her had turned them nearly transparent.

He shook his head, fighting a losing battle against himself. "Fine," he muttered, turning on his heel and stalking off to the loo. He took a shower, dried his hair, everything he could think of to put off going back out there. It wasn't enough apparently as she was still waiting in the Common Room when he tried to return to his room.

She approached him cautiously. "Draco? You're flushed, are you...?" her voice trailed off as she placed her fingertips against his forearm, causing a reactionary growl to erupt from his throat.

He turned his head, holding his breath so as not to be overcome by her scent. "I'm alright. You need to leave me alone now Granger. Let me get a handle on this or ... I don't want to hurt you... please go to your room."

Instead of listening she tightened her grip sliding her fingers down to encircle his wrist. "Draco, what is it? How can I help?"

"You could start by listening," he growled, but he was running out of air and when he took a deep breath all he could feel was her. It was too much temptation, he couldn't... He grabbed her, holding her tight in case she tried to escape and slanted his mouth down over hers. The kiss was not sweet and gentle, nor anything else he'd wanted for their first contact. Instead it was needy and possessive and almost brutal.

He managed to regain a semblance of control and pushed her away from him. "Fuck Granger, go! Now! Before I throw you on the bloody ground and make myself into someone we'll both despise."

She moved quickly and he began to breath again, dreading the idea of tasting her fear in the air. His head began to pound on the wall behind him in rhythmic smacks as her scent wafted over his tastebuds. Surprisingly, he detected no fear, but her desire was making him more lightheaded than the lack of air had. He ran to his room and locked the door, sealing it with a spell that wouldn't release until just before breakfast the next morning.

When his door opened the next morning, his dorm mate was already gone. Her scent lingered but was slowly dissipating, leaving him to believe she'd left more than an hour previous. A smirk creased his lips at the thought. She was such a funny thing, all sorts of contradictions and quirks. He was still smiling when he entered the Great Hall and found her usual seat empty. _Thinks to avoid me then does she?_

By lunch time he was no longer smiling. All bloody morning without a single glimpse of the blasted hellion. Granted, it was a morning that they didn't share any classes, but usually they at least passed in the hall or exchanged insults in passing. He sniffed discreetly, hoping to find her before his animalistic nature took over. Already he was feeling feral and out of sorts. If she didn't appear soon he was going to lose control.

Finally, fearing for her as well as the other students he approached the Staff Table and caught McGonagall's eye.

"How may I help you Mr Malfoy?" she asked stiffly.

"I was looking for Granger. Have you seen her?"

McGonagall stiffened. "Perhaps it is something I may help you with?"

He snickered, "sorry, no. I need to speak with Granger."

"She was called off grounds late last night. She will be returning tomorrow evening. Now if that is all…" She turned to walk away when he raised his voice slightly.

"No, that's not bloody well all! Where is she?"

She glared at him. "Kindly control yourself Mr Malfoy. Where Ms Granger has gone is her own business and if you ever raise your voice to me again you will lose your position as Head Boy." Again she turned her back on him, attempting to return to her meal.

"Professor," he called, desperation in his voice. "Please, I need to know where she is…"

McGonagall turned, looking fully at him for the first time. "What is going on?" she demanded in a low voice on seeing his silver eyes rimmed in black, his cheekbones a bit more pronounced than usual and his fingers curled into his palms in an attempt to hide the elongated and cat like claws which had formed.

"Where is she?" he demanded right back in the same low voice.

"Follow me Mr Malfoy." She turned and exited the room through the staff door with Draco close behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

If I owned Harry Potter and co I would no longer have to work. Sadly this is not the case...

~3~

Hermione felt sick as she looked around her childhood home. It had been utterly destroyed, everything in it reduced to rubble. The walls desecrated with vulgarity and insults, none of which she hadn't heard, but seeing them dripping in blood down the walls hit a bit closer than hearing them spoke tauntingly in the halls.

Tears dripped down her face as she moved further in. The only consolation she had was that her parents were still in Australia. Though the Dark Mark was gone long before she arrived, there was no way she could have mistaken it for anything other than what it was. A personal attack on her.

The muggles hadn't known how to explain it, but she did. They'd been looking for her family, and when they'd been unable to locate them, destruction and chaos was the next best thing. Furniture had been destroyed, photos desecrated and as if that weren't enough, Ancient Runes had been carved into the walls, runes of death and fear.

When she'd arrived, the officer in charge of the investigation had asked her if she knew what they meant. Of course she knew, runes was one of her favorite subjects, she couldn't tell them that though. Instead she'd shrugged and said, "they look like those symbols in the Egyptian pyramids don't they?" He'd taken a second look, agreed with her and proceeded to ask other worthless questions. She didn't blame him, he was doing his job after all, but she'd truly had enough of the morbidity of standing in the ruin of her once happy home.

In the middle of a question she'd turned on her heel and strode briskly from the house, only deviating once, with a pained glance she detoured into the study to retrieve a photograph from the fireplace the only one still intact. Her face was perfectly composed when she retired to the lawn, well as long as you didn't look into her eyes to closely.

The detective joined her on the lawn once he'd understood the reason for her hasty departure. He resumed his questioning, stopping in shock when she interrupted him. "We fought the last time I saw them." Her eyes were sad and the elderly man was entirely sympathetic.

"They wanted me to come home for the holidays this year, but I ... I have to stay at school. I'm head girl see, it's my duty to stay with the students who are unable to return home..." she was rambling and she knew it, but guilt was eating her inside.

"Granger!" The unmistakable shout distracted her from her pity party and she turned quickly on her heel.

"Draco? What are you doing here?" He strode to her quickly, his large hands coming to rest on her shoulders as he took in her appearance.

"What do you think I'm doing here you daft girl? Are you alright?" He glanced over her head at the uniformed officer eyeing him in interest. "The Headmistress told me what happened..." his voice was low, soothing and she cocked an eyebrow in interest.

"She just told you did she?"

"Well... I may have made a scene at dinner..." he smirked. She rolled her eyes at him before a clearing throat caught her attention.

"Oh, Detective Nottingham, my apologies, this is a... one of my..."

"Draco Malfoy, sir, her school partner." The detectives eyes sharpened at the name Malfoy before turning back to her in disbelief.

"So you attend Hogwarts then?" he finally asked.

Both students stared at him in shock. "You would be Lucius son?" Draco nodded, eyes narrowed on the man in front of him. "And how does your Death Eater daddy feel about you associating with a Muggle Born?" the formerly gentlemanly detective sneered.

Draco finally recovered his smirk as he said, "Ah you must be the infamous Academius Nott, former Slytherin and first Nott to turn Blood Traitor."

Hermione smacked him in the ribs and said, "Behave yourself Draco."

"Me? Did you hear what he said? He doesn't even know me!"

She nodded. "Yes, you're right, but after years of throwing your name around to get what you want, surely you realize there is a stigma that comes with it?"

"Well... yes, of course..." She hugged his arm gently.

"Thank you for coming Malfoy..." she turned large sad eyes up at him and he nearly whimpered with the need to comfort her.

"Oh Granger," he muttered, pulling her against his chest where she finally allowed her mask to crack just a bit. His hands ran soothingly over her back while his eyes remained narrowed on the exiled wizard.

"It's my fault..." she muttered. "Payback for the Ministry and all..."

He laughed, though there was very little humor in it. "Check your ego Granger, not everything is about you."

She pushed away, but he just tightened his embrace. "Oh really? So Voldemort's troops just randomly attacked a modest home in a small town?"

Nott took a step back at the loathed name. "Granger," Malfoy cajoled. "He randomly attacks everywhere."

She shook her head. "Don't Malfoy. They... they drew runes on the walls. It was a Fehu, Raidho, Hagalaz and Sowilo, all... all of them Merkstave..."

"Hermione," he said quietly, tightening his embrace.

She leaned back, looking up into his eyes. "They're going to find me..."

His silver eyes narrowed at the thought leading him to growl out, "Over my dead body." Her eyes grew wide as she stared up at him.

"Draco," she said simply, lifting her fingers to rest on his cheek. He nuzzled into her, pressing a kiss to her palm. He'd forgotten that her parents were murdered just hours before, forgotten that they were in a muggle neighborhood, with a wizard that he didn't know and certainly didn't trust. Everything faded into the background as his lips touched her for the first time. It took entirely too much effort to regulate his breathing as her taste lingered on his lips. His control was slipping fast, and he almost lost it completely when she leaned up to press a kiss to his jaw.

He stepped back, breathing hard and fighting for control as his instincts demanded he claim her. "Are you done here?" he finally asked.

She turned to the detective who'd been watching them curiously. He nodded slightly, "If we need anything further I will contact the Headmaster."

Now it was Hermione's turn to study him curiously. "You mean the Headmistress?"

"What?"

"Professor Dumbledore was murdered by Deatheaters. Professor McGonagall is Headmistress of Hogwarts now." Draco clarified.

"But... how... when... what?" The former Nott was dumbfounded.

"You should really catch up on current events. After all, they do trickle into the muggle world as well..." she gestured towards her parents house, her lip trembling slightly and Draco moved swiftly back to her side, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. He led her away, deeper into the shadows, where he could dissaparate without being seen.


	5. Chapter 5

I own nothing... well nothing worth suing me over. All credit for recognizable characters and/ or locations goes to JK Rowling and her brilliant imagination : )

Chapter Four

"We need to talk," it was the first thing either of them had said since landing outside of Hogsmeade.

"Yes," he replied with a sigh.

"What's going on Malfoy?"

He looked around before pulling her off the path into the secluded trees. "I'm not sure what you mean?"

"Don't play dumb, it's beneath you. Tell me."

He sighed. "You've heard the rumors I assume? About my family..."

She smirked, "There are a lot of rumor's about your family Malfoy, I'm afraid you'll need to be a bit more specific."

He glared at her. "About... well..." he sighed. It hadn't really occurred to him how difficult this would be. "AbouttheVeelabloodinmyfather'sline." He said all of this quickly, without taking a breath.

She stared at him curiously as she tried to decipher what he said. He knew the moment she comprehended because her eyes grew wide and her lips parted in a soft blow of breath. "Oh." She said. "That rumor." He nodded. "Ok... I'm assuming by your demeanor at the moment that there is some truth to that particular rumor?" Her eyebrow arched and her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. He growled but quickly covered it with a cough, nodding his agreement of her deduction. "This has what to do with me and your odd behavior recently?"

The Gryffindor way was really not his style, but at this point he was beyond trying to come up with a sneaky alternative. So he just blurted it out in the bluntest way possible. "You're my mate."

"I'm... wait, what?" All color had left her cheeks, and she appeared to be hyperventilating. He moved closer and she held up a hand. "Back up." He took two steps back, meeting her eyes while holding his breath. Her eyes darted frantically back and forth as though reading notes on a parchment. "Well..." she finally said, then stopped again. "Well... that certainly clears up a few things." Without another word she turned on her heel and strode back to the castle gates.

A/N: short chapter, but it kinda takes us into the next aspect and I didn't want to keep my oh so patient readers waiting anymore.


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